This map from Connecting Alabama shows the number of broadband providers in an area. The ivory indicates one provider while the areas in dark red have five or more. (Connecting Alabama)

A key advocate for rural Alabama and its schools is
skeptical about a $100 million plan to replace textbooks with digital devices
in the state's classrooms.

Larry Lee, former director of the Center for Rural Alabama,
said some past efforts to put laptops and other new technology in schools have been
shortsighted.

"When it comes to technology, there's an awful lot of
wanting to keep up with the Joneses," he said. "We've jumped and gotten laptops
but yet it was disastrous, because we did not have professional development for
the faculty to go along with it. And we certainly didn't consider that we
didn't have the right infrastructure to support all the computers."

Internet access remains limited in some parts of Alabama,
particularly low-population rural areas. And while technology is important, Lee
said he can think of other priorities for $100 million, such as funding
transportation, smaller class sizes and more early childhood education.

And in some of the poorer districts, there are even more
basic needs.

"I know principals
who would tell you, 'I want enough money to make sure the heat and air
conditioner keep running,'" Lee said.

State Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville, and Rep. Jim McClendon, R-Springville, are proposing the
plan that they say would save the state millions by avoiding the replacement of traditional textbooks every seven years.

"We need to be letting professional educators determine how
money is being spent, not professional politicians," Lee said.

The Alabama Department of Education's Technology Initiatives
Section was consulted about the bill, said Malissa Valdes-Hubert, a
spokeswoman for the department.

All of the state's schools and districts have the basic
infrastructure for internet connectivity, she said. But some areas would need
upgrades to accommodate more digital devices.

"We have been informed that this bill could offer money for
server and bandwidth upgrades, which would be necessary for multiple students
to be online at the same time," she said. "Just having the device and basic
infrastructure would not be enough."

Many textbooks also could be stored internally on the
device, she said, so internet access may not be necessary.

A map from the broadband internet initiative Connecting Alabama shows significant portions of the state where there are just one or two broadband providers. Areas with four or more are concentrated in major cities.

The map is designed to show what's potentially available in an area, and it's not a guarantee that there is internet access, said Brunson White, secretary of information technology for the state of Alabama.

The more providers there are in an area, the more likely the access.

White said internet connectivity in Alabama is good, but there are rural areas where it is lacking.

More improvements are expected in the coming years, he said, as providers continue to invest heavily in their 4G LTE networks.